From the Opera Stage to the Church: Castrati Arias in the Collection of Cistercians in Silesia

Collections from Silesian Cistercian monasteries, particularly Lubiąż, preserve numerous opera arias, including castrato repertoire. This article examines their use in the monastery—both litur-gical and non-liturgical—explores methods of adaptation and considers possible performers. Adapting castrato arias for the monastery resulted not only transforming the text into religious content, but also altering the performance space, both acoustically and visually. In both opera and church, arias were intended to move the audience emotionally.